Child s carriage



( No Model.) I

" W. X. STEVENS.

Child's Carriage.

N0. 24 0,860. Patented May 3,1881.-

I72 van for:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM X. STEVENS, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CHILDS CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,860, dated May 3,1881.

Application filed November 22, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM X. S'rEvENs, of Louisville, Kentucky, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Childrens (larriages, of whichthe following is a specification.

The Object of my invention is to make childrens carriages easy to therider, readily adjusted to ward off the sun and wind in any direction,strong, durable, and cheap, which I accomplish by means of novelsupports for the carriage-body and for the canopy, as hereiual'ter morefully described and claimed.

Figurel of the accompanying drawings is a longitudinal vertical section,part inelevation, of my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective of thecanopy-securing device. Fig. 3 is a horizontal projection of the same;and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carriage complete.

The body of the carriage A is supported upon two straps, B, passinglongitudinally beneath it, near its side edges. The straps B are hunglike bow-strings to the bent springing-bows G, or to the cross-bars O,which connect the ends of these bows. These cross-bars O are thepushing-handles, and, there being one of them at each end of thecarriage, it may be pushed either way. The body is secured to thestraps, at points below where the straps hang'tangent to the curve ofthe body, so that it may roll a short distance lengthwise upon thestraps to overcome jolts, on the thoroughbrace principle. These strapsare either flexible or jointed, to accommodate the form of the body andthe motion of the spring-bows O, and they support both ends of everybottom board of the body, so that a load resting on any board of thebottom cannot part it from the body. The body is attached to the strapsby adjustable clamps, so that it may he slid along the straps, for thepurpose of changing the childs bed from a reclining to a horizontalposition by canting the carriage-body, and suitable clamping-devices, asset-screws, are provided to fasten the body to the straps at any pointdesired. The bows G, bent of tough elastic wood, secured midway to thewheelaxles, serve as springs, active, strong, and durable. The back D ofthe seat is held upright by a brace, E, resting its foot on thebodybottom. This brace maybe set at different angles, to hold the backat any inclination desired.

(No model.)

The canopy H is supported upon the curvedbar I, upon which it may beadjusted longitudinally, becoming tipped as it moves fore and aft toserve as a shield from sun and wind in those directions. The bar I is aspring supported upon the middle of the cross-bars 0 (one cross-barwould hold it, but not so well) from side to side, for the purpose ofturning the canopy to either side. This bar 1 is retained vertically,horizontally, and at angles of forty-five degrees by means of the plateL, having grooves across its face in which the bar may rest, trusting toits own spring and the weight of the canopy to keep it in place. The barI may be pressed out of one groove and turned to another for the purposestated. The plate L is fastened firmly to one of the cross-bars 0.

While my carriage-body rolls upon its strapsupports like the commonthorou-ghbrace coach, my spring-bows supporting these straps are verydifferent in operation from the old thorough-braces, whose office is toresist contractile motion of the straps. My plan of hanging the carriagecombines the advantages of both the thorough-brace and the spring.

My bow-springs, made of bent wood, are as rior to them in strength,durability, and cheapness, These bows, serving also to support thepushing-handles, simplify the construction of childrens carriages.

It is evident that a carriage might be hung on this principle by makingthe body with square lower corners and raising ledges along the sides ina curved form to rest on the straps. It is evident that each of my bowsC may be substituted by springs and frame made up of separatepieces,fastened together but I prefer the bent bows, as described, being moresimple and effective. i

I am not aware that a canopy has before been supported by thepushing-ban dle, leaving the carriage-body to rock freely while itremains fixed.

I prefer to secure my bow-sprin gs directly to the wheel-axles, butother pieces, such as bolsters, may intervene to vary the design;

Having fully described my invention, what 1 claim, and wish to secure byLetters Patent,

by means of bolts K, on which it may oscillate elastic as metal springs,and are greatly supe- 1. The combination, in childrens carriages, of thebow-shaped springs O, resting upon the wheel-axles, with the flexible orjointed straps B, supporting the carriage-body, substantially asdescribed.

2. In childrens carriages, the body supported by two straps, by means ofthe bottom boards resting at or near-their ends on said straps,substantially as described.

3. In childrens carriages, the body resting in the curve of two strapshung by their ends, and secured to said straps by means of adjustableclamps, allowing said body to be slid along the straps and to be madefast at any point on the curve, for the purpose of cantin g the bodyendwise to give the childs bed a horizontal position or any inclinationdesired, substantially as described.

VILLIAM X. STEVENS.

Witnesses:

J. GUSTAV MUELLER, GEORGE BRUDER.

